They were the young ones, the bright ones, the ones with the dreams. From the Nazi-prowled wastes of North Africa to the bloody corridors of Europe, they honorably answered the call. War - it was their duty, their job, their life. They marched off as boys and they came back - those who made it - as soldiers and professionals forged in the heat of battle....

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They were the young ones, the bright ones, the ones with the dreams. From the Nazi-prowled wastes of North Africa to the bloody corridors of Europe, they honorably answered the call. War - it was their duty, their job, their life. They marched off as boys and they came back - those who made it - as soldiers and professionals forged in the heat of battle....

I was pleasantly surprised when I started listening to this novel. I had been steered towards W.E.B. Griffin by a friend of mine but had been dragging my feet about reading them because of the "orders" that are so numerous within the novel. I knew that if I had to read them I would soon find myself bored to tears and skimming more than reading.

When I discovered them here at Audible.com I was delighted. I knew that I would be engrossed in the story and could easily get through the "orders" if they were read to me, rather than being forced to read them myself.

The Lieutenants gives a wonderful foundation for the series, giving us the background needed to follow the 4 main characters throughout their careers and their personal lives.

Griffin is a first rate storyteller, making his characters memorable. I found it difficult to turn the book off.

As a narrator, Eric G. Dove is pure delight to listen to. Griffin's writing stands on it's own, Dove however, breathes life into the characters, not just the males but the many women portrayed in the novel as well. He personalizes each character so that even if you have not listened to the novel in a few days when you hear his voice you know which character is speaking.

What I have enjoyed most about the series is that even though it is military based, it is not all about war...the novels are about life, military life and as a military brat, I do have first hand knowledge of what military life is like.

My only concern at this point is that even though there are 9 novels in the series, Audible.com, only has 4 of them recorded with the 4th not being released until October of 2012. I do hope that the other 5 will be forthcoming.

I wonder if something like The Brotherhood of War could be written today. Begun over thirty years ago or thereabouts, it candidly but often light-heartedly tells a tale that begins where and when the author served, Germany immediately after World War II, and follows the personal and professional lives of a very diverse cast of characters as they rise through the ranks in the aftermath of the Second World War. During this time, the very nature of war was thought to be changing, though no one quite knew how.

Despite war and the profession of arms forming the core of the story, combat makes up very little of the narrative. Instead, we come to know the characters through the way in which they conduct their lives; the degree to which they play the army's political games, the passion with which they pursue the women they love and the degree to which they remain faithful, and ultimately the bond that links them as fellow officers. Along the way, we get a colorful depiction of life in the post-war army.

As we watch them grow, we see the army transform to meet the challenges of the new Cold War. We see this in the advisory duties two of our new lieutenants in this first volume, as well as the hints that the airborne legions that stormed into Normandy may soon be a thing of the past. Later installments would deal with the advent of army aviation and the rise of the army special warfare community.

These new unabridged editions are quite good productions. Dove's reading thankfully imparts a great deal of humor and self-awareness but also can bring seriousness and drama where appropriate.

Across nine volumes starting with this one, the army's triumphs and tragedies forms the backdrop for the drama of some extremely memorable personalities, and some of Griffin's best characters. This is why after all these years, technical errors, typos and continuity problems aside, the series as a whole remains a favorite and an easy recommendation for anyone remotely interested in a good story about soldiering. For the price, you simply can't go wrong.

This is a great series to introduce someone to W.E.B. Griffin. If you listen to this book you will come back for more. Mr. Griffin gives a unique perspective to the military culture, I believe he does it justice. W.E.B. Griffin is not only a good writer he is a generous person, he is one of the few writers that goes above and beyond for his fan's. I sent him a few books a while back and he was gracious enough to sign them for me. How many authors these days are willing to do that for their avid readers? I digress, The Brotherhood of War Series is defiantly worth listing to if you have never listened to it before, and is worth re-listening to if its been a while since you have.

I first read this book, in paper format, almost 30 years ago and enjoyed it so much I subsequently bought and read all of the “ranked” sequels (The Captains, The Majors, The Colonels and The Generals). All were equally good and I was sorry to have completed the series.

While the characters in the book were well drawn and their life stories interesting, I asked myself why I was so taken with these books. Even 30 years after reading them I could remember events in the books and how the characters reacted to them, and it is unusual for me to remember specific characters and events in a light read 30 years after I finished reading a book. I finally decided that it was because WEB Griffin had developed such life-like characters with interesting backgrounds and presented the military environment in which the characters function completely accurately. I spent 3 tours of duty in the military before leaving to take advantage of the GI Bill to attend both undergraduate and graduate schools and the events taking place in the book, the military characters and their wives and the world in which they live felt as realistic to me as it was possible to be. Even the military orders and letters of commendation sounded completely authentic and I could see, in the characters the writer created, traits and reactions to events that paralleled those of career military people I knew well. Nothing in the books seemed artificial, inaccurate or unreal.

I bought the Audible book with some trepidation. I had some concern that if the book was not well narrated I would be terribly disappointed and, if the book was well-done, I would end up buying all 9 volumes in the series. Still, the draw was too strong and I fairly devoured this first book, largely unable to put it down until I had completed it. Everything was as I remembered (with one exception described below), Eric Dove’s narration was first class and I had a tear in my eyes when I reached the end of the book. And, as I feared, I ended up buying the remaining 8 volumes (during the Audible sale).

The one thing about the book that surprised me was the harsh language. These are soldiers and their manner of speech is representative of the way soldiers spoke, at least years ago, when this book is set. There is not too much of it and, while it did not offend me much (I have gotten more sensitive to it as I have gotten older), I did think I should mention it in case others might find it either annoying or truly offensive.

The characters, their lives and the events are all interesting and well presented. The world in which they live and function is both interesting and accurately presented. The writing is flawless. I feel able to highly recommend this book almost without reservation.

I have really enjoyed this series by W. E. B. Griffin. The character development is great and the narrator, Eric G Dove is very good. This entire series has been like a soap opera for men. I find myself getting attached to some characters and not liking others. There is plenty of military action but there is also some of the day to day stuff that happens in life. The descriptions of the day to day life in the military is very accurate and the details are spot on. The narrator gets most of his terminology right and keeps his characters in their unique style of voice throughout the series. If you're a military history buff or just looking for a good series to start give this one a try.

I love this series. I have been hoping the early ones would finally appear. My problem is now I am waiting for The Captains. The early Corp books would also make great additions. These are stories I happily read/listen to more than once.

This was my first W.E.B. Griffin book and I absolutely loved it. It was similar to the t.v. series “M-A-S-H” where you got to know the characters, their heroics and their failures in their military and personal lives. I loved the character Lowell who was a rich kid that was drafted into the Army and in his teens.

The book gives a great image of military culture and the brotherhood of soldiers. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series! So glad I found this author and this book.

At first I wondered why the book was titled the Lieutenants. The narrative just didn't seem to fit the title, not that I minded but it seemed to talk about the Colonels and Generals and not the Lieutenants. After awhile it became clear that two Lieutenants were the central focus of this book. If Audible had the second book of the series "The Captains I would have down loaded it right now. I will when it is available. Good stuff.

This is a series that is about life in the military, but has super character development. I've read the entire series several times and still enjoy going back. Listening to the performance is a differenet experience.

What other book might you compare The Lieutenants to and why?

The only other series of books following a set of characters that compares is Tom Clancy's

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I use the recording of the book to escape during excercise, yard work, etc. so I don't do it all in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Great series....hopefully the others in this series will be available soon!!!!!

I enjoyed this book. The story was engaging and the voice acting was good.I've just finished reading Griffin's Corps series, and I'd say the characters in this series aren't quite as engaging as 'The Killer' and Pickering from the Corps books, but a couple do stand out, such as the young Lieutenant and his German girl, and it's certainly still a very good book.One thing it's worth noting is that very little of this book actually takes place during WWII, despite what the blurb might lead you to believe. Most of the book occurs in the immediate aftermath of the war in Germany (where the author himself served) and in Greece, where conflicts occurred after WWII. That's not a bad thing, I just thought it was worth pointing out. There's several action sequences during the Greece part of the book.

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